Shannon Crawley, Murder: Denita Monique Smith, TBD
Posted on Fri, Jan. 05, 2007 Police say student from Charlotte was shot Matt Dees (Raleigh) News & Observer Denita Monique Smith Denita Monique Smith, 25, was a 2000 graduate of West Charlotte High School. DURHAM -- The N.C. Central University graduate student found dead outside her apartment Thursday was shot, Sgt. Jack Cates of the Durham Police Department confirmed today. Cates would not say where or how many times Denita Monique Smith was shot. Police responded to a report of gunshots at the Campus Crossings apartments about 8 a.m. Thursday but found nothing. They are looking for a female they say left the scene in a burgundy Ford Explorer between 8:15 and 8:30 a.m. Cates said witnesses told police the woman looked distraught, but he stressed police consider her "a person of interest," not a suspect. "We feel like she might have crucial information about this," Cates said. Smith, 25, was found about 10 a.m. Thursday by maintenance workers at the apartment complex at 1400 East Cornwallis Road The complex is leased by NCCU and mostly houses students. Smith's body lay at the bottom of outdoor concrete steps for hours Thursday while police tried to learn clues from the scene. They treated her death as suspicious -- meaning they were unsure if it was accidental or intentional -- until an autopsy confirmed the gunshot wound. More information is expected later in the day in a statement from Durham police, Cates said. http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/16392779.htm

Police Search for Possible Witness to Student's Slaying Posted: Jan. 5 11:25 a.m. Updated: Jan. 5 11:01 p.m. Durham — A North Carolina Central University graduate student who was found dead Thursday in an off-campus apartment complex had been shot, police said Friday. A maintenance worker found the body of Denita Monique Smith of Charlotte at the bottom of a stairwell in the Campus Crossings Apartments on East Cornwallis Road, police said. Police are looking for black female operating a burgundy Ford Explorer that was seen leaving the area around 8:30 a.m. Thursday. She isn't considered a suspect in the case at this time, police said. "We need to speak to her. We believe that she may have some information which will allow us to resolve this case," said Cpl. David Addison of the Durham Police Department. Officers responded to a report of gunshots fired near the apartment complex at about 8 a.m. Thursday, but didn't find anything, police said. Police said they have interviewed more than a dozen people in the case, although they declined to say if Smith's roommate was one of those questioned. Smith was a graduate student majoring in mass communications who worked at the campus newspaper and was viewed by many at N.C. Central as a star student. She was engaged to a Greensboro police officer. "It's an understatement to say that she is going to be missed," said Lovemore Masakadza, a former editor of the campus newspaper. "I don't know which words I can use to describe how she's going to be missed." NCCU Police Chief Willie Williams said the university would increase security over the next few days to help calm any fears in the community. Patrols will expand from 12 hours a day to round-the-clock, he said, and visitors to the apartment complex are being asked to present identification. Anyone with information in the case is asked to call the Durham Police Department at 919-560-4440 or Durham CrimeStoppers at 919-683-1200. Reporter: Erin Coleman Photographer: Robert Meikle Web Editor: Matthew Burns http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/1127454/

Posted on Sat, Jan. 06, 2007 CHARLOTTE WOMAN ATTENDED N.C. CENTRAL Grad student was shot, police say Durham police want to speak with female driver seen at complex DAVID INGRAM AND MATT DEES McClatchy Newspapers Denita Monique Smith, 25, was a 2000 graduate of West Charlotte High School. DURHAM - Denita Monique Smith, a 25-year-old N.C. Central University graduate student from Charlotte, died from at least one gunshot wound, according to an autopsy Friday. Smith, 25, a graduate of West Charlotte High, was found dead at the bottom of the outdoor steps of her apartment complex about 10 a.m. Thursday. For 24 hours, Durham police had declined to identify a cause of death, describing the case only as suspicious. Sgt. Jack Cates said Friday that police have no suspects or motive in the death. Witnesses told police they saw a woman in a burgundy Ford Explorer leave the apartment complex between 8:15 and 8:30 a.m. Thursday. They said the woman looked distraught, but Cates emphasized that police consider her "a person of interest," not a suspect. Funeral arrangements for Smith had not been announced Friday. N.C. Central was planning a memorial service. On campus Friday, friends gathered to remember Smith, who was on track to get a master's degree in English this spring. Her final project, a thesis, was to be an analysis of black male identity, comparing author Richard Wright to rapper Tupac Shakur. "She saw an urgency about the conditions that young, black males have to deal with," said English professor Arlene Clift-Pellow, Smith's adviser. "She was not interested in doing a thesis that was just analysis, that had no wider significance." Clift-Pellow said she had planned to spend part of Friday writing a recommendation for Smith, who was applying to doctoral programs in English and mass communications. Outside the classroom, Smith, who was engaged to be married, was busy. She worked at least 12 hours a week tutoring students in writing, ran for student government, and wrote and took photos for the student newspaper, the Campus Echo. Her final story, about race and homeownership, was in the Dec. 6 edition still on campus newspaper racks Friday. "She wasn't the kind of person who was real talkative," said Bruce dePyssler, the newspaper's faculty adviser. "That's the thing that struck me: She was really calm. That's a great quality in a newsroom, where people get really fired up." As a tutor, Smith was known for spending as long as two hours with a student when they had scheduled only 30 minutes. "We'd have to tell her, `Stop, it's OK,' " said Karen Keaton Jackson, the writing center's director. Campus Echo Editor Rony Camille said that Smith's bright voice has been on the newspaper's voice-mail greeting since 2003 and that, because of her death, the newspaper might never change it. "She just had the perfect voice to do it," Camille said. http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/news/16396400.htm

Friends, Colleagues Seek Answers to NCCU Student's Slaying Posted: Today at 10:26 a.m. Durham — Friends and colleagues of a slain North Carolina Central University student say they are trying to understand their loss as police continue investigating. Authorities said Denita Monique Smith, 25, a graduate student from Charlotte, was shot to death Thursday morning. A maintenance worker found her body at the bottom of a stairwell at Campus Crossing Apartments in Durham. "We were all shocked when we found out," said Shelbia Brown, who worked with Smith at N.C. Central’s student newspaper, The Echo. "We were devastated." "Why? I think that’s the big question, right now. Why?" Brown said. Durham police say they are working on answering all the questions about what happened that day. They want to talk to a woman who witnesses saw driving away from the apartment complex at about 8:30 a.m. Thursday. In the mean time, friends have chosen to remember Smith by posting messages to a Facebook page dedicated to her memory. The Echo will honor her in its next print and online issues. "You have to learn from it -- what’s the lesson? The lesson is when you see a human being, be kind to them because you never know when you’re going to see them again," said Dr. Bruce DePyssler, who was Smith’s adviser at the newspaper. Smith, who had received a bachelor's degree in English from N.C. Central, had planned to wrap up her thesis this semester, university officials said. She was also engaged to a Greensboro police officer. "She really could have done anything she wanted to do. She had a very bright future," professor Thomas Evans said on Thursday. "It just sucks the air out of the room. We loved her dearly, and we're going to miss her a lot." Reporter: Erin Coleman Photographer: Tom Normanly Web Editor: Kelly Gardner http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/1128968/

Police Talk to 'Person of Interest' in NCCU Student Slaying Posted: Today at 10:53 a.m. Updated: Today at 1:09 p.m. Durham — More details have emerged in the investigation into the death of a North Carolina Central University student. Durham police said they talked to a woman Friday who witnesses saw driving away from the apartment complex in a burgundy Ford Explorer shortly before 25-year-old Denita Monique Smith was found slain by a maintenance worker . Authorities said Smith, a graduate student from Charlotte, was shot inside a stairwell of the Campus Crossing Apartments. Police said the maintenance worker found her body Thursday morning at the bottom of the stairwell. According to police, the woman has not been charged, but she is a "person of interest" in the case. Smith, who had received a bachelor's degree in English from N.C. Central, had planned to wrap up her thesis this semester, university officials said. She was engaged to a Greensboro police officer. Students at North Carolina Central University returned to campus from winter break Monday for the first day of classes. A tribute to Smith's life has been published online and will be printed in The Echo, the university's student newspaper. Smith's funeral is set for Thursday in her hometown of Charlotte. Reporter: Julia Lewis Photographer: Tom Normanly Web Editor: Kamal Wallace http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/1129810/

Sources: NCCU Slaying Probe Leads Police to Greensboro Posted: Jan. 8 10:53 a.m. Updated: 34 minutes ago Durham — Detectives investigating the shooting death of a North Carolina Central University student are shifting their focus to the Triad. Sources told WRAL Monday evening that search warrants connected with the shooting death of Denita Monique Smith were served Monday in Greensboro, but a Durham Police Department spokesperson would not confirm that. Authorities said Smith, 25, a graduate student from Charlotte, was shot inside a stairwell of the Campus Crossing Apartments Thursday morning and then fell down several steps to the sidewalk. A maintenance worker at the apartment complex found her body. Durham police did say, however, that their investigators have spent the last four days interviewing more than a dozen people, including Smith's family members, friends and neighbors. They are steadily moving forward with the case, authorities said. "It's still being actively investigated, and every day, we get a little bit closer," said Cpl. David Addison with the Durham Police Department. "Are we close to making an arrest? We don't know at this point. We're still following up on leads." Police still have not named any suspects in the case, but did spend several hours on Friday interviewing a person of interest in the case. Police said witnesses saw a woman driving away from the apartment complex in a burgundy Ford Explorer less than two hours before Smith's body was found. They would not release the woman's name or say what the relationship between her and Smith is. Anyone with information about the case should contact the Durham Police Department at 919-560-4440 or Durham CrimeStoppers at 919-683-1200. At N.C. Central, students returning from winter break were trying to understand what happened. "I just broke down and cried and said, 'Not my Denita, not my Denita,'" said Rony Camille, editor of N.C. Central's student newspaper, The Campus Echo, for which Smith was a longtime staff member A tribute to her life was published in Monday's online edition Monday and will be published in the print edition later this week. "I really was shocked, because this is family," Camille said. University officials said Smith received a bachelor's degree in English from N.C. Central and had planned to wrap up her thesis this semester. She was also engaged to a Greensboro police officer. A memorial service for Smith is scheduled at 10:50 a.m. Tuesday at B.N. Duke Auditorium at N.C. Central. Her funeral is scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday at University Park Baptist Church in Charlotte. Reporter: Julia Lewis Photographer: Tom Normanly Web Editor: Kamal Wallace http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/1129810/

Woman Arrested in Shooting Death of NCCU Student Posted: Jan. 9 8:10 p.m. Updated: 28 minutes ago Durham — Durham police Tuesday arrested a 911 dispatcher in Greensboro in connection with last week's shooting death of a North Carolina Central University student. Shannon Elizabeth Crawley, 27, was arrested Tuesday evening in the slaying of Denita Monique Smith, 25. Smith, a graduate student from Charlotte, was shot inside a stairwell of the Campus Crossing Apartments last Thursday morning and then fell down several steps to the sidewalk. A maintenance worker at the apartment complex found her body at about 10:15 a.m. Police had responded to an earlier call for shots fired at approximately 8:30 a.m., but found nothing at that time. Police said witnesses saw a woman driving away from the apartment complex in a burgundy Ford Explorer less than two hours before Smith's body was found. According to Guliford Metro 911 officials, the department hired Crawley in 2000. She was suspended after being named a person of interest on Saturday in Smith's murder, the department said in a written statement issued Tuesday night. Sources tell WRAL that Crawley was arrested at about 7 p.m. Clad in handcuffs and shackles, she was led into the Durham County Jail late Tuesday evening. Police have refused to discuss any possible motives, but said that Smith's death did not appear to be a random act of violence. Detectives spent the last five days interviewing more than a dozen people, including Smith's family members, friends and neighbors. Investigators also spent several hours Friday interviewing someone they had identified only as a person of interest in the case. It's unknown whether Crawley was the person interviewed. WRAL first learned on Monday evening that investigators were focusing their attention in Greensboro. It was not immediately clear why because Durham police would not comment. In response to the shooting, the Durham Police Department will conduct a Project Safe Neighborhoods Community Response on Wednesday. It is a strategy utilized for violent incidents or crimes likely to have a retaliation effect among those involved. The response consists of a door-to-door canvassing of the neighborhood where the crime occurred and where the victim live. Smith received a bachelor's degree in English from N.C. Central and had planned to wrap up her thesis this semester. She was engaged to a Greensboro police officer. Her funeral is scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday at University Park Baptist Church in Charlotte. In a written statement, N.C. Central Chancellor James H. Ammons said: "What happened to Denita was unconscionable. She was an outstanding and promising young student whose life has been cut short. The arrest of a suspect will help us to begin the process of healing." Reporters: Julia Lewis, Sloane Heffernan Photographer: Courtney Davis Web Editors: Kelly Gardner, Dana Franks http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/1131742/

Posted on Tue, Jan. 09, 2007 Woman charged in death of NCCU student from Charlotte Police: Slaying didn't appear random KYTJA WEIR kweir@charlotteobserver.com Denita Monique Smith, 25, was a 2000 graduate of West Charlotte High School. A 27-year-old woman was arrested Tuesday and charged in the slaying of a Charlotte woman known as a star N.C. Central University student. Durham police said they obtained a warrant against Shannon Elizabeth Crawley, 27, charging her with murder. She was arrested in Greensboro without incident, they said. Crawley is accused of shooting Denita Monique Smith, 25, a 2000 graduate of West Charlotte High who was an English graduate student at the university in Durham. Smith's body was found about 10 a.m. Thursday at the bottom of concrete stairs at the Campus Crossings apartment complex where she lived. The slaying did not appear to be a random act of violence, police said in a written statement. But they declined to elaborate on the case or discuss a motive. On Friday, police had asked for the public's help finding a woman who left the apartment complex earlier that morning in a burgundy Ford Explorer, looking distraught. Police called the woman "a person of interest," not a suspect. They said they spoke to the woman over the weekend. Police declined to say Tuesday whether Crawley was that woman. Crawley does not appear to have an extensive N.C. criminal record, according to court records. She was charged with misdemeanor larceny in 1997, but the charge was dismissed. N.C. Central Chancellor James Ammons said the arrest would help the community start to heal. "What happened to Denita was unconscionable," he said in a written statement. "She was an outstanding and promising young student whose life has been cut short." Smith's slaying shook the 8,675-student historically black campus, where she was well-known as a photographer for the student newspaper. She earned a bachelor's degree in English there and was completing a master's degree. In 2004, she participated in the New York Times Student Journalism Institute. Friends called her "Smiles." She was engaged to be married. Her funeral is set for 2 p.m. Thursday at University Park Baptist Church in Charlotte. -- The (Raleigh) News & Observer contributed. -- Read tomorrow's Charlotte Observer for more details on this developing story. http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/16422178.htm

Woman Denied Bond in N.C. Central Student's Slaying Posted: Today at 11:08 a.m. Updated: 26 minutes ago Durham — A Guilford County 911 dispatcher was ordered held without bond Wednesday in connection with the slaying of a North Carolina Central University graduate student. Shannon Elizabeth Crawley, 27, was arrested Tuesday evening and charged with murder in the Jan. 4 shooting death of Denita Monique Smith, 25. Smith, a graduate student from Charlotte, was found shot at the bottom of a stairwell in the Campus Crossings Apartments complex. Officers received a call about gunshots in the area that morning but found nothing at the time. Witnesses saw a woman driving away from the apartment complex in a burgundy Ford Explorer at about the same time as the gunshots were reported. Police later located and interviewed the woman, but police haven't disclosed whether she was Crawley. According to Guliford Metro 911 officials, the department hired Crawley in 2000. She was suspended after being named a person of interest on Saturday in Smith's murder, the department said in a written statement issued Tuesday night. Durham police have refused to discuss any possible motives, but said that Smith's death did not appear to be a random act of violence. Smith was described by N.C. Central faculty and students as a star student. She had received a bachelor's degree in English from the university and had planned to wrap up her thesis this semester. She was engaged to a Greensboro police officer. Her funeral is scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday at University Park Baptist Church in Charlotte. http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/1132301/

Police Look at Possible Ties Between Student, Suspect Posted: Jan. 10 11:08 a.m. Updated: 51 minutes ago Greensboro — Police remained tight-lipped Wednesday about any relationship between a Guilford County 911 dispatcher, a North Carolina Central University student she is charged with killing and the slain woman's fiance, a Greensboro police officer. Shannon Elizabeth Crawley, 27, was arrested Tuesday evening and charged with murder in the Jan. 4 shooting death of Denita Monique Smith, 25. Smith, a graduate student from Charlotte, was found dead at the bottom of a stairwell in the Campus Crossings Apartments complex on East Cornwallis Street in Durham. Crawley, a single mother with two elementary school-age children, lives blocks from Jermeir Stroud, an N.C. Central graduate who got engaged to Smith last month. "We're still trying to determine the relationship of all three," Cpl. David Addison of the Durham Police Department said. Crawley's neighbors said she and her children moved in a few months ago and kept to themselves. "I never saw anybody coming in or out of the house or anything. I'm just in total shock," one woman said. Stroud's neighbors said he also kept to himself. Some said they had no clue the suspect in a murder case lives so close. Durham investigators searched Crawley's house and car several days ago, police said. Authorities have refused to discuss any possible motives. but police said that Smith's death didn't appear to be a random act of violence. "In this case, we didn't think it would be beneficial for the media to have (that information) or the public to know it," Addison said. Crawley's attorney, Bruce Lee of Greensboro, also declined to comment on the case Wednesday after Crawley was ordered held without bond at the Durham County Detention Center. Her next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 1. Crawley had worked at Guliford Metro 911 since 2000. She was suspended Saturday after being named a person of interest in Smith's murder. Donna Estes of Guilford Metro 911 called Crawley a good employee and said she and others were stunned by the arrest. "I don't know that anyone ever expects anything like this to happen," Estes said. "I like to — as well as my co-workers like to — maintain that everyone is innocent until proven guilty." Smith was described by N.C. Central faculty and students as a star student. She had received a bachelor's degree in English from the university and had planned to wrap up her master's thesis this semester. Her funeral is scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday at University Park Baptist Church in Charlotte. Durham police and community organizers canvassed the Campus Crossings complex Wednesday evening. They hoped to jog neighbors' memories and turn up more evidence in the case. Officers had received a call about gunshots in the area the morning Smith was slain but found nothing at the time. Witnesses saw a woman driving away from the apartment complex in a burgundy Ford Explorer at about the same time as the gunshots were reported. Police later located and interviewed the woman, but police haven't disclosed whether she is Crawley. Reporters: Julia Lewis, Cullen Browder Photographers: Courtney Davis, Keith Baker Web Editor: Matthew Burns http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/1132301/

Posted on Thu, Jan. 11, 2007 Slain student's fiance knew suspect Motive for killing not discussed MATT DEES AND SAMIHA KHANNA (Raleigh) News & Observer GREENSBORO - The woman accused of killing N.C. Central University student Denita Smith of Charlotte lived and worked in similar circles with Smith's fiance. Shannon Crawley, the accused woman, and Jermeir Stroud, Smith's fiance, lived in the same subdivision. They both worked for the city of Greensboro -- she as a 911 dispatcher for six years, he as a police officer for four. With police refusing to discuss a motive for Smith's shooting death, there is only speculation about whether those connections had anything to do with a homicide that rocked the NCCU campus. Durham police spokesman Cpl. David Addison said Crawley, 27, knew Smith, 25, but that investigators aren't sure whether Smith knew Crawley. He would not say whether Crawley knew Stroud. Addison said Stroud never was a suspect in Smith's death. Smith was described as an "academic star" at NCCU, where she worked for the student newspaper and was a semester from her master's degree in English. Her body was found at the bottom of a staircase at Campus Crossings apartment complex in Durham on Jan 4. Police said she was shot to death. Friends say Smith and Stroud became engaged last month. B.A. Strand, a neighbor who knew Stroud, said the first time he saw Crawley was on the television news after she had been arrested. He said he never saw her at Stroud's apartment. He said he did see Smith at Stroud's house fairly regularly, including once last week. They seemed to him a happy, normal couple, Strand said. "When I found out, my heart really went out to him," Strand said. "He's a great guy, really friendly, extremely nice." No one answered the door at Stroud's home, and efforts to reach him by phone were unsuccessful. Reedy Fork Ranch, where both Stroud and Crawley live, is a new neighborhood on the northern edge of Greensboro. Similar brick and vinyl-sided homes, set close together, line a maze of cul-de-sacs with names like Pepperbush and Sycamore Glen. Crawley's neighbors said she and her two young children kept to themselves. The family moved in less than three months ago, neighbors said. Stroud has lived at his nearby home since the summer, Strand said. Scott Angrave, 44, who lives across the street from Crawley, said all he ever saw of Crawley was her car pulling into or out of her garage. Crawley has two young children, and he said he frequently saw a man in the car with her. "I assumed she was married," he said, though he said he couldn't describe the man. But Gina Clark, 33, who lives next door, said Crawley was shy and quiet. Clark said she had "never seen a man there, period." Durham police linked Crawley to the crime, they say, by identifying her as the driver of a burgundy Ford Explorer seen leaving Campus Crossings apartments less than two hours before Smith's body was found there. Angrave said police officers swarmed Crawley's house Tuesday night. A search warrant for the house on Elderbush Circle had not been made public Wednesday. Few details emerged at Crawley's first court appearance in Durham on Wednesday. She moved into the courtroom in white scrubs and jail-issue slippers, shoulders slumped and eyelids drooping. Crawley has no criminal record, an assistant district attorney told the judge. A year ago she failed to appear in court on a charge of driving without a license, he said. Crawley's attorney, Bruce Lee of Greensboro, declined to comment on the case to reporters. Durham police have been tight-lipped about the case. Addison said police might not ever divulge some facts. "The public doesn't need some of the gory details," he said. http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/16432420.htm

Posted on Tue, Jan. 23, 2007 Victim's fiance: Accused stalked him MATT DEES The News & Observer DURHAM - The fiance of Denita Smith told police that the woman accused of killing Smith was "stalking" him. It's the first indication that Jermeir Stroud is the link between Smith and Shannon Crawley, the Greensboro 911 dispatcher accused of gunning down the N.C. Central University student. The revelation came in Durham Investigator S.M. Pate's Jan. 5 request for permission to search Crawley's car and home. The document was made public today. Stroud pegged Crawley as the driver of a burgundy Ford Explorer seen leaving the apartment complex where Smith was found shot to death Jan. 4, Pate said in the warrant request. Stroud was engaged to Smith in November after a years-long relationship, friends have said. Stroud told police that Crawley had seen Smith before and could recognize her. A groundskeeper at Campus Crossings Apartments, where Smith was killed, told police he heard a gunshot at 8:18 a.m. A minute later, the groundskeeper said he saw a distraught Crawley walking from the back of the building where Smith's body was later found, according to the warrant. He watched her get in the Explorer and then approached, the warrant said. He got Crawley to stop the car and he asked if everything was OK, the warrant said. "She just continued to cry," the warrant said. "He also asked if she had heard a gunshot and she shook her head 'yes,' at which time he said he was going to call the police." She left the scene against the groundskeeper's protestations, the warrant said. He described the driver of the Explorer as a black female, about 5-foot-9, thin, in early to mid-20s. That matched Stroud's description of Crawley. Speculation about a love triangle has swept message boards and the NCCU campus since Smith, described as a star student, was found dead. But police have not discussed suspected motives for the shooting. Several items were seized in a search of Crawley's vehicle and her home in Greensboro. The warrant listed as items seized "two gunshot residue kits." That likely refers to tests of Crawley's hands to test for tell-tale signs that she had recently fired a gun. http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/16529341.htm

Warrant: NCCU Slaying Suspect Was 'Stalking' Victim's Fiancé Posted: Jan. 23 3:18 p.m. Updated: Jan. 23 8:29 p.m. Durham — A Greensboro woman accused of killing a North Carolina Central University graduate student earlier this month had been "stalking" the victim's fiancé, according to a search warrant released Tuesday. The fiancé, Jermeir Stroud, a Greensboro police officer, told investigators Shannon Elizabeth Crawley, 27, had been stalking him for a while. She had seen Denita Monique Smith, Stroud said, and knew who she was. Smith, 25, was shot inside a stairwell of Campus Crossing Apartments on Jan. 4 and then fell down several steps to the sidewalk, police said. A maintenance worker told police he saw a woman matching Crawley's description driving away from the apartment complex in a burgundy Ford Explorer less than two hours before a maintenance worker found Smith's body. According to the search warrant, he saw the woman walking away from where Smith's body was found. She was crying and distraught when she got into the Explorer, the witness told police. "The witness stopped the vehicle and asked the subject if everything was okay, and she just continued to cry," the affidavit for the warrant stated. "He also asked if she had heard a gunshot, and she shook her head 'yes.'" The affidavit continues, saying the witness was going to call police and that the driver attempted to leave the scene. "He stopped her again telling her to wait, but she proceeded to leave anyway." Police arrested Crawley, a dispatcher for Guilford Metro 911 in Greensboro, on Jan. 9, but have said very little about a possible motive for the shooting or the connection between Crawley, Stroud and Smith. Investigators searched Crawley's house and a burgundy Ford Explorer belonging to her days before her arrest. The warrant shows they seized a Guilford Metro 911 uniform, a Sprint phone bill, a computer, photographs, e-mail printouts, two gunshot residue kits and a floppy disk. Crawley is being held at North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women the women's prison in Raleigh without bond for safekeeping. She is scheduled to appear in court again next month. Reporter: Julia Lewis Photographer: Ed Wilson Web Editor: Kelly Gardner http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/1132154/